Topic: RIP - Paul Gray of Slipknot
Slipknot co-founder Paul
Gray found dead at
Urbandale hotel
Updated 11:38 pm
By L. LARS HULSEBUS and JOE LAWLER •
lhulsebu@dmreg.com • May 24, 2010
Urbandale police are investigating the death of a
member of one of Iowa's loudest and most famous
bands.
Paul Dedrick Gray, 38, of Johnston was found dead
at about 10:50 a.m. Monday by an employee at
TownePlace Suites, 8800 Northpark Drive in
Urbandale, police said.
Gray played bass guitar for Grammy-winning
Slipknot and was a founding member of the Des
Moines band, known among metal fans worldwide
for its sound and theatricality.
Gallery: Slipknot photos from 1997 to now.
Gallery: Slipknot plays Des Moines, January 2009
• From the Register archive: Slipknot's trek from
Des Moines to Grammy fame
• Timeline: Slipknot's rise
There was no evidence of foul play in Gray's death,
but the investigation is ongoing, police said. An
autopsy, including toxicology tests, is scheduled to
be done today, Urbandale police Sgt. Dave Disney
said.
Gray checked into the extended-stay hotel on
Saturday and was scheduled to check out today,
hotel spokesman Chris Diebel said.
Monday morning, Gray's relatives called the hotel to
ask the staff to check on him because they could not r
each him by phone, Disney said. Gray was found
alone, apparently dead, and employees called 911.
Disney would not disclose Monday whether
anything of interest was found in Gray's room or
why Gray was staying at the hotel.
Diebel said the hotel staff had not seen or heard
anything out of the ordinary before finding Gray's
body.
The musician had stayed at the hotel before and was
remembered as being a quiet and respectful guest,
Diebel said.
Gray, who was born in Los Angeles, was one of two
Slipknot members not born in Iowa. Gray and his
wife, Brenna, were expecting a child, according to
friends of Gray's.
"Paul had a lot going for him, and a lot coming,"
KAZR-FM (103.3) music director Andy Hall said.
"I know he was excited about being a dad. It makes
an already extremely difficult situation more
unthinkable."
Gray had past trouble with drug abuse
Gray had a history of drug abuse and was arrested
on drug charges in June 2003 after he crashed his
Porsche into a Des Moines motorist at Martin Luther
King Jr. Parkway and Carpenter Avenue.
Police charged Gray with marijuana possession,
cocaine possession, possession of drug
paraphernalia and a red-light violation.
He later pleaded guilty of driving while under the
influence of drugs, and was sentenced to one year
of informal probation.
His court file included a handwritten note from Dr.
Joe Takamine, who described a conversation with
Gray about his "sporadic use of various drugs and
of the long periods of abstinence in between."
Takamine concluded that Gray was not addicted to
Advertisement any drug and understood the dangers of drug use.
Friends and musicians remember Gray
Slipknot's music and live performances have
attracted dedicated fans from around the world
since the band released its first major-label album
in 1999. The band affectionately named its fans
"maggots."
Musician Matt Nyberg, who was dubbed "First
Maggot" by Slipknot's Shawn Crahan, remembered
Gray on Monday.
"It's just a devastating loss for the Des Moines music
scene and the world's music scene," Nyberg said.
"He was always one of the nicest guys. You never
heard anything negative from him."
J.R. Siems is in the band Sound Proof Coalition with
Slipknot member Sid Wilson, and became friends
with Gray.
"Everybody seemed to think he was in good health
again, so it came as a big shock that this had to
happen," Siems said. "It's pretty surreal.
"He had the biggest heart of anyone I knew and
would give anyone the shirt off his back."
Hall, of KAZR-FM, also said Gray's death would be a
big loss to the local music scene.
"I think Slipknot gave young music fans an identity
and a real sense of pride for being from Des
Moines," Hall said.
Gray's life ended in the same city where the early
version of the band practiced and where Slipknot's
indie debut album "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat," was
recorded.
"He's going to be deeply missed, and I'm very
worried about the future of the band," said Chris
Cardani, a local music promoter who has booked
Slipknot shows. "More than just a member of
Slipknot, he was a friend."
Register staff writers Kyle Munson and Grant Schulte
contributed to this article.
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Paul Gray "Behind the Player" video from IMV:
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